dispositional

American  

[dis-puh-zish-uh-nl] / ˌdɪs pəˈzɪʃ ə nl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a natural and characteristic mental or emotional outlook or mood.

   These results provide a framework for understanding the mechanisms that underlie chronic worry and dispositional anxiety.

2. of or relating to a natural tendency, whether of a person or a thing, toward a particular condition or action.

   She shows a dispositional preference for order and predictability.

   Two classic examples of the dispositional properties of objects are that vases are fragile and sugar cubes are soluble.

3. of or relating to the final settlement of a matter.

   The judge in this case has a wide range of dispositional options available to fulfill the rehabilitative goals of the Code of Juvenile Justice.

---

Etymology

Origin of dispositional

disposition ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Under state statues, a mitigated dispositional departure occurs when guidelines recommend a prison sentence, but a judge allows the sentence to be “stayed” — meaning the defendant doesn’t go to prison.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2021

I think about an article from the publication Trends in Cognitive Sciences I read that suggested dispositional optimism is at least partly inherited – to some degree, you either have it or you don’t.

From The Guardian • Nov. 21, 2019

At the time, theological works were written in an obtuse dispositional style of Latin in which more was better.

From Washington Post • Oct. 26, 2017

“IVF clinics and individuals who participate in the IVF process must have some certainty about dispositional choices before embryos are created,” the judge wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2015

Doubtless all this is not without a softening effect upon his character, smoothing down his dispositional asperities and endowing him day by day with fresh accretions of humility.

From The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays 1909 by Howes, S. O. (Silas Orrin)